Automatic stop for talking-machines



W. G. SHELTON. AUTOMATIC STOP FOR TALKING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FTLETJ MAR. 4. 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1-,

INVENTOR By Aft m/l PatentedSept. 27, 1921.

W. G. SHELTON.

AUTOMATIC STOP FOR TALKING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 4. 1920.

PatentedSpt. 27,1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- I INVENTOR By Attorneys,

- UNITED STATESPATEN r OFFICE.

WILLIAM GENTRY SHELTON, on NEW YORK, N. Y.

AUTOMATIC STOP FOR TALKING-MACHINES.

To all whomc't may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM GENTRY SHEL'roN, a citizen of the United States of Amerira, residing in the borough of Manhattan, city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Stops for Talking- Machines, of which the following is a speciiication. I v

- Thisinvention relates to improvements in automatic stops for talking machines, and aims to provide improvements therein.

The present invention provides a stop or braking device for talking machines, which automatically operates to stop the operation of the talking machine when the'reproducer ceases being fed by the groove in the sound record, as for example, when the reproducer reaches the end of the record. The invention further provides a device, the action of which is automatic, notwithstanding the particular relation which the beginning part, or ending part of the record groove bears to the edges of the record.

The invention further provides a device which may require no direct manual operation or setting, the setting being a concomitant of the operation of one of the usual parts of the talking machine, as for example, the reproducer support or carriage.

The invention further provides a device of the character described which may also be manually operated to apply the brake or operate other stopping means, whereby, for example, the record carrier (turntable) may be stopped at any'stage of the playing of the record. I 1

The invention further provides a transmission by means of which movement may be transmitted from a parton a record carrier of the disk or turntable type and which admits of ready removal of the turntable.

The invention further provides a device or devices of the character described, which is simple and durable, whichmay be cheaply manufactured, readily applied to existing types of talking machines, and which is effective in carrying out its purposes;

The invention further provides novel c0mbinations, sub-combinations and arrangements of parts, hereinafter more fully set forth and defined in the annexed claims.

An embodiment of the invention'is illus trated in the accompanying drawings. Said embodiment is shown as applied to a talking Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept, 27, 1921, Application fi1ed,March 4, 1920. Serial No. 363,209..

machine having a recordcarrier of the disk or turntable type, and ashaving areproducer support or carriage in theform of a tone arm, or swiveled sound conveying tube. I

In said drawings, H

Figure 1 is a plan view of the invention, applied to a talking machine, the brake being shown in off;pos'ition, and the turntable or recorchcarrier free to turn.

Fig. 2 is av'ertical sectional view on the line IIII,Fig. 1. I

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view on the line III-III, Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is aview similar to Fig. 1,'showing the parts in position following the release of 1 the brake from the detent.

Fig. 5 is a'view similar to Figs. 1 and 4, showing the parts in the position which they occupy at or during the initial playing of the record.

Referring to said drawings, A designates the record carrier, which maybe of any suitable type, here shown as a disk or turntable, and rotated in any suitable manner. Bindicates the reproducer carrier, which may be of any suitable type, and here shown as a swivelcd sound conveying tube or tone arm.-

Numeral 10designates a stopping device, such as a brake, which may he of any suitable; type, and adapted to operate upon any part of the talking machine which will effect the stopping of the operation thereof, and in particular, stop the operation of the record-carrier. As here shown, the brake 10 comprises a lever pivoted adjacent the rim of the record carrier A, as indicated at 11, and carrying a shoe or pad 13, adapted to make brakingcontact with the rim of the record carrier. 7 The brake or lever 10 preferably has an extended arm 15, by means of which it may be moved out of contact with the record-carrier.

engaged, holding the brake out of braking position. A spring 23 normally presses the detent against the brake lever 10. The detent is preferably provided with an arm 25, projecting to an accessible place, which permits the detent being moved to release the brake, when the detent is covered by part of the talking machine, as is usually the case.

In the case of talking machines having an electric drive, the part 30 may operate to start and stop the said motor, as by operating a switch in the circuit leading to the motor; I

Numeral 30 designates a part adapted to actuate the stopping device or brake, and, in the construction illustrated, to press or strike the detent and thereby release the brake from the detent.

Means are provided for automatically moving the striker or actuating part 30 against the detent 20 or other part of a stopping device (to release the brake from the detent) when the reproducer is no longer advanced in the spiral grooves of the sound record, as for example, when the reproducer reaches the end of the spiral groove. These means comprise a rotary shaft 40, or other suitable means, with which said striker or actuating part 30 is adapted to engage, and, when so engaged, be moved to an indeterminate extent. The rotary shaft 40 for example, may be provided with screw-threads 41, of an indeterminate length, and the striker may be provided with a tooth, clutchpart or the like 42, adapted to engage within the groove between the screw-threads 41.

Means such as a spring 45, attached to an arm 46, attached'to the striker or actuating part 30, normally tends to move the striker out of engagement with the screwthreaded shaft 40.

Means are provided for holding the striker or actuating part 80 in engagement with the threads on the screw-threaded shaft 40, against the action of the spring 45, these holding means being conveniently a pin 50, moving with the reproducer. To this end, the pin may be mounted upon the sound conveying tube or tone arm 13 carrying the reproducer, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The action of the holder, which moves for as long a time as the reproducer is moved by the spiral groove of the sound record, is to press the striker or actuating part 30 into engagement with the threaded shaft 40. and hold the said striker or actuating part in such engagement throughout the move ment of the pin 50. The threads 41, being of an indeterminate length, continue, to move the striker after the pin 50 stops its movement. The striker or actuating part 30, being thereupon moved away from the holder, is free to move out of engagement with the threaded shaft 40, under the action of the spring 45, thereby bringing the striker against the detent 20, causing the detent to release the brake, and the brake to stop the machine.

The striker or actuating part 30 is most convenientlyvin the form of a slide, having a movement parallel to the shaft 40, and also toward and from the coacting part of the stopping mechanism. For guiding the part 30, a lug may be formed thereon, in which lug there is formed a hole which fits somewhat loosely around the shaft 40. There may also be provided a lug 61, struckup from a plate 63, having an elongated slot 62 therein, permitting a limited oscillation of the striker or actuating part 30 around the lug 60. p

The striker 30 may be provided with a reduced or recessed portion 64, whereby in its initial position, it may occupy a position out of engagement with the threaded shaft 40 without striking against or pressing upon the detent 40, and hence causing the detent to release the brake.

After having been moved by the shaft 40, and after having been moved out of engagement therewith, the striker or actuating part is preferably returned to the initial position. This may be effected by any suitable means, but is conveniently effected by attaching the spring 45 at a point 66 in such manner that it has a compound action upon the striker 30, one component of its force being in the direction to move the striker away from the shaft 40, the other component being to move the striker parallel with the shaft 40.

The pin 50 may have a motion derived from or corresponding to the reproducer carrier or support. One method by which the pin 50 is made to maintain its bearing or contact upon the striker or actuating part 30, during or throughout the movement of the reproducer carrier is shown in the accompanying drawing. This means conveniently comprisesa compensating device, as cam 70,'the face of which is given a contour which, compensates for the difference in lineal movement in a common direction, between the said pin 50 and the striker 30.

' The shaft 40 may be rotated in any suitable manner. Conveniently the shaft may be provided with a pinion 80, and this may be driven by a worm 81. In the disk or turntable type of talking machine, this worm 81 is conveniently mounted upon the underside of the turntable, and the construction is such that the turntable may be removed or replaced without hindrance, in asmuch as the threads of the Worm and the teeth of the pinion 80 readily roll into and out of mesh. 7

Operation.'-The brake or other stopping device being set, or positioned so as to hold the machine from operating, and a record being upon the record-carrier, the turn-table may be released, either by a manual operation of the brake or stopping device by means of the arm 15, for example, oran automatic operation of said means to release the turntable may be effected through the pin 50, by moving the reproducer carrier in an appropriate direction. The reproducer may there-.

upon be lowered to bring the stylus into contact with the record and the playing of the 30 is brought into engagement with the screw -threads 41 of indeterminate length on the rotating shaft 40. This causes the striker or part 30 to move parallelto the shaft 40, the pin 50 holding the striker engaged with the said shaft until the reproducer reaches the end of the record and the reproducer carrier ceases to move, whereupon the shaft 40 proceeds to move the striker away from the holding pin 50. When released from the holding pin, the striker is free to move out of engagement with the shaft 40. (under the influence of the spring 45, or other force), and against the detent 20, or other coacting part of a stopping device. When the striker or part 30 strikes the detent' 20 it turns it on its pivot, so as to release the brake 10. The brake thereupon acts to stop the operation of the machine, as

' by its shoe coming into contact with the rim of the turntable." When the reproducer carrier ismoved to initial position, the striker, being out of engagement with the threads 41, is moved by the spring 45 to initial position. In this position the parts of the brake may be reset to allow the machine to run (either by hand, orby an extra movement of the reprodncer carrier) this being permitted ,by the reduced or recessed portion 64 of the striker. I

If it is desired to stop the operation of the machine prior to the time that the reproducer reaches the end of the record, this may be readily effected by manipulating the arm 25 of the detent to release the brake from the detent:

The holding pin 50 may be brought into contact with the striker 30 at any period during the playing of the rewrd, so that practically any size record may be used upon the machine, and the particular location of the end part of the groove is of no conse quence, as regards the operation of the mechanism to automatically operate the brake or stopping device to stop the operation of the machine.

The inventive ideasherein set forth may receive other mechanical expressions and embodiments than thoseherein specifically illustrated and described. i

What I claim is l. A stopping mechanism for talking machines, comprising a stopping device, and.

means for actuating said stopping device to stop the operation thereof, said means comprising an actuating part, means for moving said actuating part for an indeterminate period, means moved by the reproducer-support for holding said actuating part in engagement with said indeterminate moving means, and means normally tending to move said actuating part out of engagement wlth said indeterminate moving means, said inde-' terminate moving means being adapted to move said actuating part away from said holding means and allow said actuatingpart to move to actuate said stopping device, when said holding means ceases to move by reason of the reproducer ceasing to be moved by the record.

2. A device according to claim 1, further comprising means between said actuating device and said holding means for compensating for the difference in the motion im parted to said actuating device by said indeterminate moving means and the motion of said: holding means when in motion.

3. A device according to claim 1, further comprising a cam on said actuating part on which said holding means is adapted to press when in motion, said cam being adapted to compensate for difference in the motion imparted to said actuating device by said indeterminate moving means and the motion of said holding means toward said cam.

4. A device according to claiml, in which 'said indeterminate moving means comprise a continuously rotating screwthreaded shaft.

a continuously rotating screw-threaded shaft, and in which said actuating device comprises a slide having a sliding movement parallel with said shaft, and movement to and from said shaft, under the co-action of said holding part.

6. A device according to claim 1 in which said holding means comprise an attachment adapted to be vmounted on the tone-arm of a talking machine.

7. A device according to claim 1, further comprising means adapted to be actuated by said holding means to move said stopping device from stopping position to a nonstopping position.

8. A device according to claim 1, further comprising manually operable means for moving said stopping device to non-stopping position.

A device according to claim 1, in which said indeternnnate moving means comprises A device according to claim 1, in which said indeterminate moving means comprises a continuously rotating screw-threaded shaft, a spur gear thereon and a worm, said worm being attachable to a rotary turntable, and said worm and gear being adaptcd to roll into and out of mesh, whereby said turntable be readily removed.

10. A device according to claim 1, in which said means which normally tends to more said. actuating part out of engagement with said indeterminate moving means, acts to return said actuating part to an initial position when disengaged.

11-. A device, according to claim 1, in which said stopping device comprises a brake and a detent, said actuating part coacting with said detent.

l2. Incombination, a stopping device, an actuating part therefor, a driving part to which said actuating part is adapted to be connected and disconnected, said actuating partbeing adapted to be moved by said driving part when connected thereto, and, in disconnected position, to coact with said stopping device, and a part connected with the rep'roducer carrier for holding said actuating part connected to said driving part, said driving part having a speed related to the rate of. movement of said reproducer part, said actuating part, when said repro ducer carrier ceases to hold said actuating part connected to said driving part, actuating said stopping device.

13. In combination, a stopping device, an

actuating part therefor, a driving part, a clutch part between said actuating part and said driving mechanism, adapted to connect and disconnect said actuating part and driving mechanism, said actuating part, in unclutched position coacting with said stopping device, and a part connected with the rcproducer carrier for holding said clutch part in connection with said driving means,

said driving part having a speed related to the rate of movement of said reproducer art said actuatin art when said re ro- 7 t7 3 ducer ceases to hold said clutch part connected to said drlving part, actuating said stopping device. I

14. In comblnation, a stopping device, an actuating part therefor, a drivln part to which said actuating part is adapted to be connected and disconnected, said actuating.

part being adapted to be moved by said driving part, when connected thereto, and, in'disconnected position, to coact with said stopping device, and a part connected with the reproduccr carrier for holding said actuating part connected to said driving part, said driving part havlng a speed related to the rate of movement of said reproducer part, compensating means for effecting an disconnected position, to coact wvith said stopping device, said driving part having a speed related to therate of movement of said reproducer part, and a part connected with the reproducer carrier for holding said actuating part connected to said driving part, said actuating part, when said reproducer carrier ceases to hold said actuating part connected to said driving part, actuatin}: said stopping device, said stopping de- V108 having a partadapted to coact with said reproducer part, for moving sa1d stopping mechanism to non-stopping position.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name. 7

WILLIAM GENTRY SHELTON. 

